Jones County, Mississippi
[citation needed] Jones County was in an area of mostly yeomen farmers and lumbermen, as the pine forests, swamp and soil were not easily cultivated for cotton.[4] Soon after the election of Abraham Lincoln as United States president in November 1860, slave-owning planters led Mississippi to join South Carolina and secede from the Union.As Mississippi debated the secession question, the inhabitants of Jones County voted overwhelmingly for the anti-secessionist John Hathorne Powell, Jr.[6] Mississippi's Declaration of Secession reflected planters' interests in its first sentence: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery…" Jones County had mostly yeoman farmers and cattle herders, who were not slaveholders and had little use for a war over slavery.The lack of food and supplies was demoralizing, while reports of poor conditions back home made the men fear for their families' survival.[8] The company, led by Newton Knight, formed a separate government, with Unionist leanings, known as the "Free State of Jones",[9] and fought a recorded 14 skirmishes with Confederate forces.[4] The followers of Knight raised an American flag over the courthouse in Ellisville, and sent a letter to Union General William T. Sherman declaring Jones County's independence from the Confederacy.It assumed legendary status among some county residents and Civil War historians, culminating in the release of a 2016 feature film, Free State of Jones.
CountyMississippiNamed forJohn Paul JonesLaurelEllisvilleTime zoneUTC−6CentralUTC−5U.S. state2020 censuscounty seatsLaurel micropolitan areaPowhatan EllisPocahontasIndian RemovalAbraham LincolnslaveryAmerican Civil WarCovington CountyConfederate tax-in-kindTwenty Negro LawFree State of Jones (film)Newton KnightUnionistPauldingWilliam T. ShermanFree State of JonesVictoria E. BynumSally JenkinsJohn StaufferJefferson DavisU.S. Census BureauJasper CountyWayne CountyPerry CountyForrest CountySmith CountyDe Soto National ForestBlack or African AmericanNative AmericanPacific IslanderOther/MixedHispanicLatino2020 United States censusSouth Central Regional Medical CenterEllisville State SchoolJones County School DistrictWayne FarmsLaurel School DistrictWalmartMasoniteJones County Junior CollegeCity of LaurelMississippi Department of Mental HealthSouth Mississippi State HospitalInterstate 59U.S. Highway 11U.S. Highway 84Mississippi Highway 15Mississippi Highway 28Mississippi Highway 29Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airportunincorporated areaMoselleRepublicanDemocraticThird party(ies)SandersvilleEastabuchieSharonErrataSand HillTawantaWhitfieldJones CollegeLance BassRalph BostonJason CampbellNational Football LeagueMary Elizabeth Ellis-DayCarroll GartinUS MarshalIra Clinton WelbornMedal of HonorSpanish–American WarTom LesterGreen AcresAmos McLemoreCharles W. PickeringUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth CircuitParker PoseyLeontyne PriceJames StreetRay WalstonMy Favorite MartianBainbridge CountyNational Register of Historic Places listings in Jones County, MississippiMississippi Historical SocietyProject MUSESan Francisco ChronicleWayback MachineCitiesOthercommunitiesIndian reservationMississippi Choctaw ReservationJacksonTopicsClimateClimate changeDelegationsGovernorsLieutenant governorsLegislatureHistoryConstitutionState landmarksState parksSymbolsAbortionCultureDemographicsEconomyEducation